I designed JB’s Pro Hydraulic Shaft Extractor because I could no longer trust my ability to pull a shaft from a bore through head like the Titleist Models D, J, E, or K with a screw type puller. I pull many heads to do spine alignment and you cannot make a profit if you scorch a painted head with too much heat or overcook the shaft. With the hydraulic puller, you compress the internal die spring in the ram of the jack to 350 lb. of force. This is indicated when the bolt on the head is extended ½ inch. By giving the jack two more pumps, you have applied over 500 lb. of force. You can easily apply twice the amount of force with JB’s Pro Hydraulic Shaft Extractor verses the screw type puller. This gives you the ability to use less heat to break the epoxy bond. Because of the spring-loaded force, you now have both hands free to apply a heat rod, heat gun or torch without the risk of overheating the shaft or head. When the epoxy bond breaks, the spring force will push the head forward and you just jack the head the rest of the way off. Using JB’s Pro Hydraulic Shaft Extractor in the horizontal position makes it ideal for removing the shaft from the Ping drivers and fairway metals because you have both hands free to use the heat rod.

Graphite shaft-extracting does not get any easier or more effortless than this!

Designed and constructed for the

Professional Clubmaker

(at a very competitive price!)

Please view the YouTube Demo

 

If the Pro Model does not fit your budget, please look at the Jr. Model.

Read what one customer had to say about the Pro Shaft Extractor:

JB’s Professional Hydraulic Shaft Puller
I’ve contemplated the move to a hydraulic puller for some time but never thought to find something affordable yet better than the Mitchell Commercial already in my shop. However, good words from respected clubmaker peers helped convince me it was a fairly low risk proposition. I contacted Jerry Ballard – the man behind the JB Hydraulic and after some discussion (and skepticism on my part), placed an order for the puller. Jerry was fantastic to deal with and extremely patient with my nitpicky questions – a very pleasant and reassuring experience to say the least. Jerry was very interested in my feedback, which was surprising given the impressive track record of his professional level hydraulic in high volume shops.
My first pull went very well. Fresh out of the gate (and instructionless as I’d lost the papers), it popped a TM540XD from a $300 Fuji Japan only 657 Boron in about 15 seconds flat. I was quite astonished to see the head pop right up as soon as the epoxy let go. Always wondered how a die spring would operate and there it was before me.
The essentials of the JB are these:
-megaton hydraulic pump
-long urethane clamp with Acme screw, spring loaded
-heavy gauge 0.370 pusher plate with shim – die spring loaded
-horizontal or vertical orientation
On the surface, the JB looks like a well-realized home product. There is nothing fancy at first glance but inspect further and you very much see signs of craftsmanship and engineering. Small details like deburring of all end pieces and proper fitting finishing caps indicate care in execution and construction.
The key to any good puller is the clamp. It is exceedingly clear that JB had gone to great pains to create a clamp that has to power to hold ANY pull. This clamp is extremely long with a heavy-duty Acme screw spring loaded mechanism – one almost gets the feeling one can pop off a head without heat! And I actually have….an old steel-shafted club made with Conap quick set slid off with zero heat application. The clamp is far superior to the one on the Mitchell Commercial, which though adequate, did slip on a regular basis.
The pulling power is sufficient in the JB to tear shafts apart. However, follow the well-written instructions and it should never be an issue. After the club is secured in the clamp, pump until the die spring is fully compressed (this is adjustable) ½”, then pump twice more. Often the preheated head will let go immediately and start sliding off from the pressure of the spring. A little more heat and you’ll see the gap developing between the cone of glue at the top of the hosel and the rim of the hosel itself. Tough heads MAY need another partial pump just to see if they are loose. Being that any hydraulic pump utilizes seals and inevitable leakage, I find partially releasing the pressure through the bleed valve then repumping can make a head come loose without additional heat.
The JB has met all my expectations – so much so that I actually sold my Mitchell Commercial. Jerry’s customer service was above and beyond anything I could have ever expected. I’m very pleased with this product and recommend it fully. I’ve never used a Weiss Gibson but I would suggest the JB, at a fraction of the price, works equally well. Certainly, I am likely more discerning than most but feel I fully got my money’s worth!

Percy Leung , JNP Custom Clubs, Burnaby , BC

alias (Dyno) on Tom Wishon's Forum and FreeGolfInfo Forum

Update March 2007

I hadn’t contacted JB since my original purchase of the JB Professional shaft extractor but after a recent correspondence thought it may be helpful to update my experiences.

Not much has changed in the last couple of years. The JB resides in the same place in my shop as it always has. The urethane clamp still doesn’t slip and is on the original pads. I recently pulled four Titleist 983K’s with their 3.25” bore through hosels in about 30 minutes without breaking a sweat. The extractor has worked flawlessly since purchase proving to be a very durable unit, many hundreds of clubs later.

The only change I made since my last report was to adjust the set screw for the die spring inward to reduce pusher plate travel after the epoxy releases from heating. Clubs with shorter hosels tend to release much faster which can allow the spring to aggressively eject the head from the shaft. Typically I will be holding the head with the final pump so it’s basically a non-issue. The JB has so much extracting power that very minimal heat is needed. The head being extracted should never become so hot as to require gloves for handling.

I’m still completely satisfied nearly 2 years later and heartily recommend it to everyone.

Percy Leung , JNP Custom Clubs, Burnaby , BC

alias (Dyno) on Tom Wishon's Forum and FreeGolfInfo Forum

To view other endorsements, please click on the “Testimonials” button on the menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Instructions for the Shaft Extractor Pro Model

  1. If the club has a ferrule, you must remove it. The easiest way to accomplish this is to heat the ferrule with a heat gun for 10 to 15 seconds. The heat will soften the plastic, and then you can cut the ferrule off with a utility knife. Use caution: do not cut into a graphite shaft.
  2. With the extractor in either the vertical or the horizontal position, insert the club into the slot in the extractor head. The hosel of the club should be resting against the slotted shim on the head of the extractor. The slotted shim is the same width as the slot in the head. By locating the shaft into the U portion of the slot, you will have more than 180 degrees of contact with the base of the hosel. This one slot size accommodates shafts with diameters from .335 to .370. By using the slotted shim, you also prevent wear on the forks of the head.
  3. Close the clamp by turning the T-handle on the acme screw. This does not require a great deal of pressure because the 4-inch urethane clamp has a lot of gripping power. If you have slippage, just give the clamp a ¼ turn.
  4. With the head of the extractor in the down position, the hosel resting against the slot in the shim, the slot in the head, and the clamp tightened, use the handle of the jack and pump it about (8) eight full pumps. This will extend the ram of the jack about ½” inch inside of the extractor head and compress the die spring to 350 pounds of push force. The visual indicator that you have accomplished this is that the bolt in the head of the extractor will extend ½ inch. On the next pump or two, you should feel an increased resistance in the handle of the jack because the spring has bottomed out. At this point, you should stop pumping. You have now applied over 500 pounds of pressure. Any additional pumps will be applying over 1,000 pounds of force and something has to slip. The head will have the potential to become airborne when the epoxy bond breaks. If you experience the head becoming airborne, screw the ½ inch bolt in so that it only extends ¼ inch, when the die spring is fully compressed. This will reduce the amount of travel on the head and does not have any affect on the amount of pressure that you have applied to the shaft.

  5. Now use the heat source of your choice (I prefer the self-igniting, pencil flame butane torch) and apply heat to the head of the club. When the epoxy reaches about 250 degrees, the epoxy bond will break and the head of the extractor will push the head of the club forward. You can now remove the head with your gloved hand or jack the head the rest of the way off.
  6. You lower the ram by turning the valve on the front of the jack about ½ turn and applying downward force with you hand.
  7. The function of the T handle is to support the extractor in the horizontal position and for transporting the extractor.
  8. Periodically, the acme screw of the T handle needs lubrication. You will also need to add grease to the head of the extractor. You can accomplish this by removing the half-inch bolt, pulling the head off, and greasing the inside of the head and the jack ram. You can use any type of wheel bearing grease.

Directions to assemble the Pro Extractor shipped in a flat-rate box

  1. Pump the jack until the ram extends approximately 3 1/2 inches.
  2. Turn the relief valve clockwise until you reach the stop.
  3. Take the jack handle and jack the ram of the jack up approximately 4 inches.
  4. If you have some wheel-bearing grease, put a light coat on the exposed cylinder of the ram.  The head is shipped with grease inside and this should be adequate but a little on the bare cylinder will not hurt.
  5. Place the spring inside the ram.
  6. Put the bronze bushing on top of the spring.
  7. Slide the head over all three items:  the bushing, the spring, and the ram of the jack.
  8. Take the 1/2 inch bolt, insert it in the head, and screw it down.
  9. Turn the bolt 13-15 full turns.
  10. Turn the relief valve counterclockwise and push the ram until the head seats against the top of the jack.
  11. Install a shaft in the extractor and jack the ram until you feel resistance of the spring bottoming out.
  12. Now measure the 1/2 inch bolt and it should extend 3/8 inch.
  13. If it does not extend 3/8 inch, loosen the bolt until you have  3/8 inch.  If it is over 3/8 inch, tighten it until you have 3/8 inch bolt extension.